WEBVTT PAUL: ON MONDAY DURING THEGOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN WE REPORTED, THAT GOVERNOR LEPAGE HAD TOLDLEGISLATIVE LEADERS ABOUT HISPLANS TO LEAVE TOWN FOR TENDAYS.OUR STORY HAD TWO SOURCES,REPUBLICAN SENATE PRESIDENT MIKETHIBODEAU AND A RANK & FILEDEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER.THE GOVERNOR'S COMMUNICATIONSDIRECTOR BLASTED OUR STORY AS"FAKE NEWS."LATER THAT NIGHT, THE GOVERNORTOLD REPORTERS WHAT HE ACTUALLYSAID WAS HIS PEN WAS GOING ONVACATION MEANING HE WAS NOT, PLANNING TO SIGN A BUDGET.DURING AN INTERVIEW ON WGAN THISMORNING, LEPAGE SAID THAT HEMAKES UP STORIES TO MISLEAD THEMEDIA.THEN, IN RESPONSE TO A PUBLICRECORDS REQUEST, THE SENATEREPUBLICAN OFFICE RELEASED THISVOICEMAIL LEFT FOR REPUBLICANSTATE SENATOR ROGER KATZ ONMONDAY.>> YEAH, ROGER, THIS IS GOVERNORLEPAGE.I'M HEADING OUT OF TOWN FORABOUT TEN DAYS, AND I'D LIKE TOSPEAK TO YOU BEFORE I LEAVE.SO, COULD YOU GIVE ME A CALLPLEASE?THANK YOU.PAUL: THAT IS THE ENTIRE MESSAGEMINUS THE PART WHERE THE, GOVERNOR LISTS HIS CELL PHONENUMBER.WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THEGOVERNOR'S OFFICE TO SEE WHATHIS STAFFERS HAVE TO SAY NOW.

The governor's office released this message on Facebook Thursday night, "Over this past weekend, during budget negotiations, Governor LePage was attempting to get Senators [sic] to return his call during the midst of the negotiations. He wanted to make it clear when speaking with folks that he would not sign a budget which increased taxes on the Maine people and small businesses. When media contacted the Governor’s office regarding a vacation the office was 100% accurate and clear that the Governor was not taking a vacation."

State Rep. Drew Gattine, D-Westbrook, whom the governor left a vulgar voicemail last summer after he assumed Gattine had called him racist, tweeted, "BTW, I totally understand why @Governor_LePage worries that legislators don't want to return his voice messages."